Tag: beef
Campechano Tacos
Campechano Tacos
This might be the most ultimate taco ever. Carne asada, chorizo or longaniza sausage, and chicharron are the meats that make up tacos campechano. Yes. 3 meats in this taco. The tacos are topped with onions, cilantro, and morita salsa; with lime wedges on the side. This taco is a sign that life is good and not to take it for granted.There are a couple options that you can use for the beef. Top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak are all tender enough cuts. Everyone knows what chorizo is, but most don’t know about Mexican-style longaniza; not to be confused with Filipino longanisa. Longaniza’s main flavors are from achiote paste and orange juice, giving it a citrusy flavor. Both sausages contain enough fat once rendered out to cook and flavor the steak. The last minute of cooking, serranos and chicharron are added to the campechano, giving it heat and another textured layer of porkiness.
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin, flank steak, or skirt steak cut into small cubes
- 1 lb chorizo or longaniza sausage
- 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
- 1 cup chicharron crushed
- salt and pepper to taste
Tacos
- corn tortillas
- white onion chopped
- cilantro chopped
- morita salsa
Instructions
- Crumble the sausage into a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Brown the sausage for 6 minutes.
- Add in the beef. Continue sautéing for 3 minutes.
- Add in the chopped serranos and crumbled chicharron. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Morita Chilies Salsa
Morita peppers are dried jalapeños that have been slightly smoked. They have the spiciness similar to a chipotle pepper. What’s different about this salsa is that the dried peppers and garlic are fried in olive oil then soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to further hydrate them. Then they are purred with the water they were soaked in and the oil they were fried in. This salsa reminds me of the canned chipotle abodo sauce that chipotle peppers are packed in, but less smokey in flavor.
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 12 dried morita peppers
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 cup hot water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Fry the morita peppers and garlic for 2-3 minutes. The peppers will puff up. That’s when you know that they’re done.
- Scoop out the peppers and garlic and let them soak in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes.
- Add the peppers, garlic, soaking water, and the oil they fried in to a blender. Purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
Kanda
Kanda
As the name says, the Central African Republic is located in the heart of Central Africa. Kanda is a popular dish of beef meatballs simmered in a tomato sauce, served with steamed rice. What sets these meatballs apart from others is that ground toasted pumpkin seeds are used in place of breadcrumbs. They add a texture to the meatballs that I now wish all meatballs had. The meatballs also are thrown in uncooked into the sauce. They turn out extremely tender. Considering how basic this entire recipe is, there is no shortness of flavor. Instead of serving the meatballs with pasta, they are served with rice.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 cups pumpkin seeds
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 3 bird’s eye chilies chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- salt to taste
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a cold, dry pan. Turn the heat to medium. Dry toast for 5 minutes.
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor. Grind into a powder.
- Place the onions, garlic, and parsley in the food processor. Purée. Mix with the ground beef, ground pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper.
- Roll into golf ball sized meatballs. Place in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes and chilies. Season with salt. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for for 5 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste. Pour in the water. Give the pan a stir. Add in the meatballs. Place the cover on a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cover and simmer for a few more minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken.
Puchero Paraguayo
Puchero Paraguayo
There are numerous versions of puchero found all over South American countries, Mexico, and even the Philippines; all influenced from Spanish immigration. Puchero is the Spanish word for stewpot, referring to the clay pot that it was traditionally cooked in. Puchero was originally considered peasant food, using what ingredients were available. The Paraguayan version of this stew contains a variety of root vegetables, beef, and rice.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs flank or skirt steak cut into small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- water
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 1 lb pumpkin cubed
- 1/2 cup rice washed
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the beef with salt, pepper, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and the minced garlic for 30 minutes.
- Heat up the rest of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Sauté the beef until browned.
- Add in the onions, carrots, and green peppers. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the water, potatoes, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for an hour.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add in the rice. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
- Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
